A photographer’s guide to not worrying about rain on your wedding

Spot the awesome bridesmaid with powers of invisibility?I’m not going out there in the rain!

When something happens, like rain on your wedding day, that is completely out of your control, and likely to make you feel upset, you can be sure there are many comforting sayings to remind you that it is actually good luck for rain to fall the day of your wedding. While it may not feel particularly fortunate to have 30 millimetres of rain drilling down on the roof of your painstakingly selected venue with the beautiful scenery you won’t dare step out into because it will ruin your hair, many cultures would gently disagree.

In France you would hear: “Mariage pluvieux, marriage hereux.”

In Spain, “Novia mojada, dicha asegurada.”

In Portugal: “ Casamento molhada, casmento asegurada”

In Italy” “Sposa bagnata, sposa fortunata.”

These, any many more you can find if you care to spend one of your rainy afternoons trawling the internet, all basically mean that a rainy wedding day means your marriage will be especially blessed and fortunate. A wet wedding day is even considered a good omen for fertility (not an issue in this case but good to know)

We’ve got two minutes before it starts to pour again – smile!

This may not be convincing enough for all hard-to-please brides, however, who’ve spent the better part of the previous year (or two!) planning for the big day. If this sounds like you, then here are few ideas from a photographer that should help bring you a little peace of mind, in case you do have the great fortune to get married on a rainy day.

Accessorize!:buy a set of of cute rubber boots and /or matching umbrellas in the colour theme you’ve selected for your wedding. There is nothing fearsome about wet grass if you’ve got the proper footwear. No sinking heels for your bridesmaids!

Save the rain! I love this idea. Capture some of the rain water in small elegant bottles and save it. You’ll have a lasting physical memory of something from your wedding day that you can’t get if it’s sunny out. You can sprinkle a few of the drops on the soil of your first garden together, or the forehead of your first born, or just keep it somewhere special to remind you of the day.

Play in the rain: while the temptation may be strong to avoid going out in the rain at all, there are lots of playful images to be had with you and your husband, or bridesmaids out in the rain. Embrace it and you’ll have unforgettable shots you’ll be grateful for.

Grey sky = great lighting: A bright grey sky is the perfect diffuser of light. All photographers love a smooth grey sky as it provides a lovely, soft light to shoot in and makes people look great. If there are brief breaks in the downpour you will often be rewarded with images shot in that cloud filtered light that will actually show you at your best.

Have an awesome bridesmaid with powers of invisibility: Now I am sure every bride is convinced their bridesmaids are the most awesome bridesmaids, like, ever, but in my many years of working as a wedding photographer on sunny and rainy days, I’ve never come across one as super heroic as the one whose work was instrumental to these photos. And no, you can’t see her because she’s the one holding up the dress so it doesn’t drag in the leaves, or holding the umbrella to keep the happy couple warm and dry.

See her now?

Hopefully when your wedding day happens you get exactly the weather you are hoping for, rain or shine, but just in case you are facing down a forecast like this one or this one from my favourite Jewish grandmother / weather forecaster, just think of how lucky you are – and go out and buy a set of matching cute boots and umbrellas.